Hearing His Voice #107

Now bring me someone who can play the harp.

2 Kings 3:15

The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom were leading their armies out to battle against Moab when they found themselves in a land without water or provision. The king of Judah—Jehoshaphat, the only one among them who had any faith—suggested that they inquire of the Lord. An officer recommended Elisha as one through whom the Lord would speak. So the kings sent for him and persuaded him to ask God for direction.

How did Elisha respond? He asked for a harpist. He had agreed to listen for God’s voice, and he needed some background music to do it.

Most of us can’t hear God through the turbulence of our own souls, so we need to be calmed. He rarely chooses to compete with the clutter in and around us; He prefers for us to still the storms so we can listen. The great prophet Elisha, a student of Elijah’s and a master at hearing God, apparently calmed his spirit with music. This was no psychological trick or mood booster; it was a means to get on God’s wavelength. Somehow, amid the notes of the instrument, he was more likely to receive God’s direction.

Many of us play background music during our times with God, but we may not be aware of how greatly it enhances our communication with Him. The connection between God’s voice and musical vibrations is stronger than we think. Music may simply seem like an aid to relaxing or getting in the right frame of mind to focus. From God’s perspective, it often primes the pump for His truth to flow into our lives—sometimes very specifically and directly. In the midst of any battle or any storm, we can position ourselves to hear God through the sounds that reach our hearts.

Lord, my emotions, anxious thoughts, mental strategies, and momentary moods often block my listening ear, and music removes the blocks. When I surround myself with the language of instruments and rhythm, let it open my spirit to hear the language of Your heart.